


The birth of our empire

by soulhead



Series: Crossing path in every universe [1]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roman Empire, Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:34:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26795200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulhead/pseuds/soulhead
Summary: On the very first day they met, Lando was struck by the gentleness that the man exulted as they spoke together. Under Daniel's gaze, he was left captivated by every single of the soldier's detailed account about his cohort's last expedition outside of Aquitania's borders. Needless to say, it was on the very same day that Lando found himself falling in love with the soldier.Or, the forgotten story of Lando, the sole heir of the roman emperor and Daniel, his devoted lover and commander of the praetorian guard.
Relationships: Lando Norris/Daniel Ricciardo
Series: Crossing path in every universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1964035
Comments: 9
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

Of all the brash and unwise choices Lando made in his short life, enamoring himself to Daniel, the commander of the praetorian guard, was definitely the one he paid the highest tribute for. Although in his defense, it's not as if it was really a choice at all. The man was an impossible paradox to understand : Daniel commanded respect anywhere he went, his valour and dedication to his duty obvious in the way he carried himself. Yet, on the very first day they met, Lando was struck by the gentleness that the man exulted as they spoke. Under Daniel's gaze, he was left captivated by every single of the soldier's detailed account about his cohort's last expedition outside of Aquitania's borders. Needless to say, it was on the very same day that Lando found himself falling in love with the soldier.

And it's then that everything started to progressively change for him, for his love of Daniel is what has been keeping him a willing prisoner to his own home.

The truth is, when Lando was younger, staying put in Roma was the only thing he wanted. There, in the beating heart of the Roman Empire, there was so many opportunities to learn about politics, military strategy and so much more.

Lost entire nights among dozens of books about the art of diplomacy and democracy, his childish imagination made him dream about a thousand of things. Most frequently, he saw himself in his dream sitting on his father's throne, a golden laurel wreath decorating his head as he would walk into the steps of his father and rule over the Roman Empire. His people would flourish under his fair rule, Lando was sure of it. Above all, peace would come and the bloody conquest and invasion tearing apart his people would be no more.

But now, Lando isn't a child anymore and it's been far too long his father and he did not exchange a single word.

Meanwhile, Roma has grown too corrupt, lead by a senate more interested in the parties they organized within their own clan than in their mission to protect the Empire. And his own father, the _Divi filius_ , the _imperator_....Well, Lando doesn't want to think about what he's become, unless he wants shame to consume him. His father has turned into a cold and controlling man he barely recognizes anymore, one that sees him as a _heir_ , rather than a _son_.

So, instead, he spends his nights fantasizing about going as far away as he can from his father. He dreams of foreign landscapes, of being lead through mounts and valleys by his lover, to fall asleep surrounded by nothing but the gentle hold of the only person that matters to him in this world. He dreams of loving freely and carelessly and of not being afraid to see the constant indolence and arrogance that corrupt the walls of Roma finally tainting his love for Daniel like they've soiled everything else.

And today, when he wakes up, he instinctively flinches at the remnants of his dream, scared that somehow anyone could discover his treacherous subconscious.

Then, his palpitating heartbeat calms instantly at the sensation of a familiar pair of strong arms surrounding his waist.

Daniel is right by his side, he reminds himself, how could he risks anything ?

Still a little bit groggy from his sleep, he slowly turns himself to admire his lover unconscious form.

Unable to refrain himself, his right hand almost instinctively reaches for Daniel's mussed curly hair and he starts to card his fingers through them.

Progressively, Daniel begins to stir awake and his brown eyes open themselves to stare right into Lando's.

«Good morning, my beloved.» his lover says in a raspy voice before tightening his arms around Lando to hold him almost impossibly closer.

Instead of answering, Lando breathes a sight of contentment and revels in the enticing warmth that surrounds him.

And there lays the reason why despite his dreams of discovering a world outside of Roma, of escaping his father's influence, he remains resolutely anchored inside the walls of his father's domain :

Lando is in love.

Worst than that, _he's loved back dearly_.

And to run away would mean to leave Daniel behind.

He can't afford that, he never will.

So instead he dreams, even when he's awake, of taking his lover with him and to never look back. And yet, he ponders as he turns in their bed, he still hasn't even found the courage of even daring to share this secret of his with his lover.

While deep in his own thoughts, he absentmindedly catches sight of the set of armor belonging to Daniel that lays on a corner of his chamber. In a matter of a second, the carefreeness that inhabited him leaves him as reality rushes back to him :

Today is the seventh day of Quintilis, the day that marks the departure of Daniel for a mission Lando has tried to push at the back of his mind as hard as he could.

«Must you really go with them?» he asks in a whisper as he tightens his grip around his lover as soon as he feels him trying to stand up from their bed.

Lando is well aware of the immense power he possesses just for being the son of the Emperor and yet, clinging to Daniel's embrace, he’s never felt this helpless. All his privileges seems useless when he can't ever keep his lover to remain by his side, safe and secure and away of anything that could remotely be harmful to him. Deep down, he feels his blood boils as he curses his father for endangering his lover.

«Lando, be reasonable...» Daniel whispers soothingly while looking directly into his irises « I'll come back to you before you will realize I've been gone, I promise you. You'll barely have time to miss me.»

_But I miss you already, even when you are still standing by my side,_ Lando refrains himself to argue.

His lover then slowly extirpates himself from his embrace and starts putting his armor on.

«Then why do you have to go at all ? Why can't one of your subaltern officer lead the cohort ?»

«You ask this question as if you don't know...» Daniel admonishes while keeping a fond look on his face « The Visigoths will take it as a provocation if our emissary isn't led by a highly ranked military representative. So now, my beloved, will you tell me where you've hidden my sword ?»

«I-» Lando's stomach swirls uncomfortably as he reluctantly points to the chest where he had desperately tried to hide his lover's weapon, wishing to delay for as long as he could his departure.

All of it was futile hope, of course.

«You should be rejoicing for my journey, Lando ! Your father has tried time and time again to secure an alliance with the Visigoth and now finally we are on the brink of-»

«I don't care about any of that !» Lando interrupts before calming himself «I just – I want you to return safely and unharmed. The Visigoths have promised too many treaties and alliances in the past that soured as soon as my ancestors turned their back to them...I won't be able to live if the same things happens to you, if it's another-» he interrupts himself when he feels Daniel's warm hand grazing tenderly the skin of his left cheek.

When he looks up to his lover, Daniel's eyes feel unveiled and a hint of sadness transpires through them.

«I promise you then, my beloved. I will come back to you entirely as I leave you today.» he pauses before fiddling with the small necklace of a single eagle's feather he always wears around his neck. He then puts it in Lando's hand. «Take care of this until my return.»

«I-I can't !» he says as he tries to give it back to Daniel, knowing how not a single day passed where Daniel didn't wear this necklace.

Before he finds his words, a booming voice calling out to his lover resonates through their bedchamber.

With a sigh, Daniel brushes his lips gently against Lando's before pulling away once again with a resigned and solemn look on his face «I must go now, my men are already waiting for me.»

«Then go, but come back quickly !» Lando declares reluctantly, knowing that neither he or Daniel have any choice in the endless schemes of his father.

With one last lingering look, where both of them tries to engrave into their memory the other one, Daniel runs in direction to his cohort and away of Lando.

«And may the goddess Adiona ensures your safe return.» he murmurs to himself as he dreads the sound of silence that starts to surround him.

***

~~The~~ _His_ commander is never late.

No matter how far away Daniel and his cohort must venture into the land to complete his father's missions, he always precisely predicts the time of his return.

Except for this time, it seems.

He had promised Lando to come back in a matter of four or five days, depending on whether or not the negotiation with the Visigoths would take time. And like the patient and rational young man Lando is, he spend most of the first days reading in the library or dipping the tip of his toes in the atrium's basin.

He pretends to not notice how the few guards left in his father's estate watch his every move and how a burdensome atmosphere reign around his home.

Yet, as Lando wakes up with the light of the fifth days of his lover's absence, he cannot pretend anymore to be perfectly serene when he remains alone in his chamber with no sign of Daniel.

A hole in his chest, filled with worries and invasive thoughts tells him something bad, something terrible must have happened to Daniel and his cohort.

And yet, because it’s the only thing he can do, he waits, waits and waits. Patiently, quietly and desperately. And when the night come, he finds refuge in his bedchamber. There, he looks fondly at the necklace Daniel left him and prays to any gods willing to listen for his lover's well-being.

When the sixth moon had passed, Lando has decided to stop walk in circles around the atrium and to take up all his anxious energy to tend to the garden outside.

Manual labors, as frowned upon it is for someone of his almost divine rank, always soothed his mind in Daniel's absence. So, for the next days, he pours his heart in plucking every ill-looking leaf on the hedge of the rose bushes. When he's done with it, he makes all of the guards go mad with worries as they watch him climb up the outer walls of his house to cut a single wiltering mimosa tree's branch.

Yet, despite his best efforts, the world around him appears uncharacteristically bleak. Of course, the cold breeze that blows during this season, coupled with the clouded sky help little in lifting up his spirit but he still spends an obscene amount of time fighting against himself for tears to stop swelling up his eyes.

And today, for the ninth time in a row, Lando barely eats his breakfast before he disappears in his garden to observe with resignation how another entire bush of rose has withered away.

What a discouraging sight it is, he muses, almost like a reflection of how he feels. Fading away, languishing as he waits for his lover to be back, like the roses waited in vain for the sun to reinvigorate them.

Lost with somber thoughts in his head, he doesn't notice the incoming steps in his direction and jumps when he suddenly feel a presence behind him.

Turning himself abruptly, he's greeted with the sight of his lover's familiar smile, the same one that he has missed so dearly.

«Daniel !» he exclaims as he jumps in his commander's arms, who lets a small groan escape his mouth at the impact of Lando's entire weight on him.

«My apologies my beloved, I didn't mean to frighten you !»

«Are you hurt ?» Lando worries as he scrutinies his lover's face. He now realizes how stiff and pale he appears, his body roughened by what must have been a long and dangerous journey.

«No, just exhausted...»

«What happened ? What took your cohort so long ?»

Daniel only grumbles in answer, before resting his head on Lando shoulder «The Visigoths...They- Ah you know how they are...» he gestures vaguely.

Lando doesn't let the man finish before capturing his lips into a soft kiss.

«I worried so much for you !» he says as he strokes his lover's curls before letting his forehead touches gently against Daniel's and breathing the same air.

«I'm here now.» his lover reassures him and rubs his hand gently across Lando's upper back.

And indeed, Lando thinks, he's there, standing tall and his solid chest recovered by his armor against his own. _He's there, there, there !_

With a new spring in his step, Lando guides his lover back through the atrium and to his private quarter, leading his lover to his bed and tucking him carefully under his linen blanket.

As he searches around his bedchamber for another set of blankets to make sure Daniel is comfortable enough during the night, his lover demands his attention from where he lays on bed « Join me in bed, Lando.»

«Just a moment ! I'm sure I have a few more bla-»

«I spent the last nine days sleeping on the ground and soaked wet by the rain. I am _not_ spending another second away of you tonight, so come _please_...» Daniel grumbles in a pout that makes him appear like everything but the commander he is.

With those words, Lando hastily slide under the blanket and into his lover's arms «Then you shall not spend any other second apart from me...»

As they both bask in each other's warmth and Lando lays his head against his lover shoulder, only the sound of their synchronized breath can be heard through the chamber.

Using his last bit of energy, Lando quickly turns himself to retrieve Daniel's necklace that he had carefully place on his night table. He then carefully puts it back around his lover's neck, observing silently the way the simple jewel finally reunites with his owner. Then, he pushes himself closer to Daniel and closes his eyes, feeling at peace.

_At last._


	2. Chapter 2

Lando wakes up the next morning slowly. At first, he's disorientated by the small snoring noises he hears next to him, before a smile bloom on his face as he remembers the events of yesterday. Feeling chills run down his spine with the cold air that slips through his bedchamber, he seeks Daniel's warm and solid chest. Savoring the quietness of the morning, not a single of his limbs move.

Dozen of minutes pass, if not hours, until he reluctantly exits the cocoon Daniel and he created when a servant knocks softly on the door and announces to him their breakfast is ready.

After some complaints by Daniel, he somehow manages to get the both of them dressed. He unashamedly lets his stares linger on the figure of his lover as he arranges his tunic. If there's no denying Daniel looks properly magnificent in his armor, Lando can't help but melt at the simpler and softer charm he exudes as he wears the traditional roman cloth. Once Daniel is done, they both lazily walk to the atrium to take their breakfast. Instead of laying down on the two couches specially prepared for them, Lando happily climbs up on Daniel's lap once he's sat down. He's aware of how clingy he may appears to his lover, but the ever-present smile on Daniel's face tells him he doesn't mind in the slightest.

«Tell everyone else I don't want to be disturbed for the rest of the morning.» Lando orders the servant as the last plate of food is brought to them and put on the low table next to them. He can't help not being in a sharing mood today, he's been starved too much of his lover's calming aura to want anything else than being alone with him.

So, as Daniel silently watches him take a generous bite into a fig and Lando revels in his first full breakfast since Daniel's departure.

As he eats another fig, he feels small, teasing wet kisses on his neck that manages to extirpate a small giggle out of him. Squirming around his lover's embrace, he turns himself toward him to look at his mirthful smile and the crinkles forming on the corner of his eyes.

«I missed that.»

«Uhm ?»

«Hearing you laugh.» Daniel whispers against the skin of his jaw.

Blushing under Daniel's intense attention, he picks a grape to feed it to his lover, whose eyes somehow manage to never leave his gaze.

And as Lando basks once again in the proximity of his lover and he remembers the bitter coldness that seized his entire being during Daniel's absence, he ponders how he has allowed himself to grow so dependent on his lover.

Lando continues plucking grapes to serve them to his lover's mouth. He watches fascinated the hypnotizing motion of Daniel's jaw as he bites into the food and as grape juice wets his lover's mouth. Needless to say, it's not long before he feels a familiar kind of fever reaches his limbs.

Acting on instincts, he slowly put aside the plate of fruits and straddles Daniel's middle, both of his tights trapping his lover under him. A wolfish grin appears on Daniel. His left hand then starts to brush lightly Lando's left tight. Up and down, from his knee to his inner tight, his fingers traces delightful circles that leaves Lando shivering delightfully.

Their breakfast long forgotten, Lando allows himself to taste the skin over Daniel's collarbone. At the same time, Daniel's hands lift his toga to pinch teasingly the inside of his right tight. After an embarrassing high-pitched sound escapes his mouth, Lando retaliates by nibbling on his earlobe.

The playful atmosphere between them quickly take a more intense turn as Daniel brushes ever so lightly his length and begins to move his hips in search for any friction between the two of them.

Yet, strangely Lando's mind isn't entirely focused on the delicious chill his lover arouses in him. Instead, he's swept by a distracting wave of courage at the sight of the devotion reflecting in his lover's pupils. Drops of sweat have started to pearl on his lover's forehead and a crazed light shines brightly in his eyes. And to Lando, it feels like the only right moment to truly speak with Daniel. So, he suddenly puts his weight on his lover's middle to immobilize him.

«Tell me Daniel, would you be ready to do something for me ? Even if it goes against some of your principles ?» he whispers, his lips impossibly close to Daniel's left ear.

His lover's first answer is to pursue his mouth once again and to bring him into a dizzying kiss. «Of course, my beloved. I swore in front of the Emperor to serve and protect you under all circumstances, simply ask for what your heart desires and I'll achieve it.»

«And what if I asked you to lead me away of the province of Aquitania ? »

A beat of silence passes in which Daniel looks at him with confusion written on his face.

«Why would you- I mean, you would have to ask permission to the emperor.» he answers hesitantly.

«But what if I don't want his permission ? What if I asked you to take me outside of Roma's walls even without my father knowing ?»

«I don't understand these questions...Do you have something in mind, you want to go on a small retreat or -?»

«For longer than that.» Lando says solemnly and for a moment, not a word is spoken between the two of them. Daniel's eyes shift rapidly as he tries to make sense of their silent conversation and the weight behind Lando's stare.

«You- Lando...» Daniel ends up whispering as he lays both of his hands around Lando's jaw « You can't. Here in Roma you are safe ! If anything happened to you, your father's lineage would be compromised.» he rushes out.

And with this simple sentence, the enchantment Lando was under is suddenly broken. What was he thinking ? For a moment, he thought he was talking to his lover, not the commander of the Praetorian guard. But here he is, being reprimanded for daring to want anything else than what his father expects of him. This realization feels like a punch in the gut.

«But what about me ? You know my father hasn't even allowed me to leave Roma for the last two years ! It's always my safety, always this or that, always excuses to keep my tightly locked up away !»

«And for a reason ! » Daniel repeats as he tries to catch Lando's avoiding gaze.

«Is it all I am to you then ? A ward to keep locked inside and a pair of warm legs to sink into whenever you feel like it ?» he asks shakily before extirpating himself from Daniel's hold.

Hastily and with trembling hands, he rearranges his toga before standing up and walking toward his chamber in long stride. Just as he's about to exit the atrium, Daniel's hand catches his and he's forced to be faced with him.

«Please ! Lando, I- I didn't mean - You know I could never think of you like that ! I- I need time to thin-»

Distantly they hear footsteps down the hall and Lando steps closer to him to make sure no one hear them.

«Then think for as long as you want, I will be in the garden, waiting.» he says before turning his back to his lover.

In a haze, Lando finds his way to the garden and sits on the ground, his back resting against an old oak tree, barely hidden from the guards watchful surveillance.

And there, he allows himself to let tears escape his eyes. _He's so tired_ , he laments.

_ So, so , so tired. _

And pathetic, Lando angrily adds to himself. What would the people of Roma say if they saw him, hiding away as he cries his heart out, utterly lost ? 

Daniel could very well at this moment be running to report directly to his father about his desire to run away from him.

And then Lando will be purely and entirely alone against his father's fury.

_Alone_.

And as he sheds a continuous stream of tears, a soft cloak is deposed gently on his shoulder, making him jump in surprise.

His head hurts after crying for so long and he now only vaguely notices how the sun has already started to set. Through his hazy vision he still recognize Daniel's figure as the man sits silently next to him, fiddling absentmindedly with the dead leaves surrounding them.

«You have to understand how much you are asking of me.» Daniel declares solemnly, before marking a pause «I spent my entire life serving your father, dreaming of being in the position I am in now ! And without any warning you ask me to throw it all away...How long as it been since you began to think about it ?»

«Since...» he interrupts himself, thinking about the first time he started to really entertain the concrete thought of running away instead of just fantasizing about it «For longer than I know you.»

«And you never thought to tell me ?» he whispers, his hands holding Lando's chin up gently so they gaze can meet.

«I- I never thought I could.»

Instantly, Daniel knocks the air out of his lungs by enveloping him into a tight, heartfelt hug «Then forgive me, my beloved. Forgive me for making you doubt my devotion to you.» he whispers in his ear.

«Does this mean you will follow me ?»

«I-» Daniel interrupts himself, a troubled look on his face. «Anywhere, my beloved. Anywhere you will go, I will guide you.» he says before his next words die on the tip of his tongue as Lando surges toward him to embrace him.

****

After their discussion, many more follow. Lando has left too many of his thoughts unsaid and Daniel seems intent to know every single of them. With the amount of questions Daniel asks, Lando could almost feel interrogated. Yet, to him it feels like a massive weight is lifted from his chest and he can breath just a little easier now that he's not so alone anymore with his own thoughts.

Days pass, where the both of them start to elaborate a route to follow and most importantly a destination to set their journey to. Lando's actual knowledge of the outside world is far too limited to be of any real help. But the collection of maps he's amassed in his library becomes a precious resource to determine a possible path to follow. It's exhilarating and nerve-wracking all at once for him and he's glad Daniel is there to try to keep his head cool.

Yet, it's not an easy task, his father's influence is rampant in almost all of the continents and at many opportunities his lover can't hide his anxiety. When Lando reminds him it's not the first time Daniel had to escort someone through dangerous roads, he simply answers him that it's the first time he has to do it for a loved one.

Eventually, they set their sight on Britannia, a land too divided by clans for the Roman Empire to really have any influence over it, even if it has been officially claimed as a conquered region. At least, it's what the informants Daniel has reached told him.

So, they plan in secret during long sleepless nights and Daniel stares becomes more determinate as the days go and he watches his lover inhabited with a joy he never saw before 

****

Coincidentally, their departure comes on the same day Lando watches the last rose of the garden whither away on the ground.

Once the night come, they wait for the guard vigilance to drop to sneak past them.

Once they reach the stable, Daniel helps him to mount on a horse. They are both wearing long, unremarkable cloaks that will ensure they'll pass as two travelers during their journey. The material of the cloth is rough and itches against his skin, yet Lando's entire body is trembling with excitement at the idea of escaping his father's influence.

After charging their last sack on their mount, Daniel quickly joins him on the saddle and pull the horse rein to quickly ride away.

_This is it_! Lando muses as hope courses through his veins. _This is the moment he waited for so long !_

Hastily, Lando takes a final look at the noble and imposing house that used to be his home. His heart feels free of any sadness after the thought of leaving behind him his old life.

Then, he turns his head and wraps his arms around his lover's abdomen.

He doesn't know what will await for him once they'll cross over the Atlantic sea. The only certain things he's sure of is that he just left a life of comfort and privilege behind for a life on the road, filled with uncertainties.

Yet, as he rests his head on his lover's back and let him guide their horse to the start of a journey he dreamed for so long, Lando knows he made the right decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic and second chapter was a bit of a nightmare for me to write, I struggled to write any emotions into the scenes...I hope it doesn't show too much ! Any comment or feedback would be appreciated <3

**Author's Note:**

> I would be eternally thankful for any comment/feedback <3


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